Recognizing clothes moths, moth eggs & larvae: diagram

Clothes moths are one of the most common textile pests. The insects feast on clothes, upholstered furniture, curtains and carpets. This guide will help you to recognize the animals in the different life stages.

Recognize clothes moths

The clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella) is a clearly recognizable one Textile pestwhose occurrence extends all over the world. They are easy to identify based on their characteristics:

• Size: 6 to 9 mm
• Wingspan: 10 to 116 mm
• Color: light yellow to dark brown
• Yellow-gray wings
• eyelashes
• without drawing

In addition to these characteristics, the wing position of the animals should be mentioned. When at rest, they fold their forewings together like a roof that covers the hindwings. The females and males do not differ in appearance or size. Males can only be recognized by the fact that they are more active during the flight time.

Note: You only encounter the moth at night. They are difficult to see as they are not attracted to light sources and prefer darkness, making controlled capture impossible.

Moth eggs: characteristics and occurrence

In addition to the adult moths, the moth eggs are also not easy to spot. The reason for this lies in the size. They are only 0.5 mm in size, round and white in color. They are not stored in collections, but individually. As a result, they are only noticeable if you look closely. Females lay around 250 eggs between May and September, their flight time. These are preferably stored in rooms with a textile food source and the following properties:

• Temperature: 23 ° C to 30 ° C
• Humidity: from 70 percent
• dark retreat corners available

The eggs are often mistaken for the excretions of the larvae that have already hatched. They are of a similar color and are excreted directly on or next to the textiles. The larvae hatch from the eggs after about 14 days.

Note: If the moth lives in cool, dry parts of the house such as the attic, it is likely the fur moth (Tinea pellionella). It is a little darker in color and smaller, but behaves almost identical to the clothes moth.

Identify larvae

After the larvae hatch, they immediately begin to feast on the food source. They can be recognized by the following features:

• Basic color: white, yellowish-white
• Head: dark brown, outlined in black
• Length: 7-10 mm

The larvae themselves are not so easy to spot because the eggs are not laid in a group. They are alone and therefore mainly to be found on the feeding tracks and spine tubes. The feeding marks resemble small, irregularly shaped holes that get bigger over time. Hides and furs are eaten off, holes are rare. The caterpillars stay in the spine tubes. These sit differently depending on the fabric:

• Furs, hides, wool, rough fabrics: in the material
• smooth fabrics: on the surface

The spine tubes are quivers in which the caterpillars sit and are clear signs of an infestation by the pests. They are spun from silky threads and are clearly recognizable. After a while, the caterpillars pupate until they transform into an adult insect after about 60 days. Pupation takes place directly in the ghost tubes.

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